books.google.co.uk - An English classic revised and expanded for North America Forest Gardening is a way of working alongside nature--an approach that results in great productivity with minimal maintenance, and a method for transforming even a small cottage garden into a diverse and inviting habitat for songbirds, butterflies,...https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Forest_Gardening.html?id=N01940btQAQC&utm_source=gb-gplus-shareForest Gardening

Forest Gardening is a way of working alongside nature--an approach that results in great productivity with minimal maintenance, and a method for transforming even a small cottage garden into a diverse and inviting habitat for songbirds, butterflies, and other wildlife. Based on the model of a natural woodland, a forest garden incorporates a wide variety of useful plants, including fruit and nut trees, perennial herbs, and vegetables.

Hart's book beautifully describes his decades of experience gardening in the Shropshire countryside, yet the principles of "backyard permaculture" he explores can be applied equally well in other locales across the planet, from tropical to temperate zones. Practical features of the book include:

Lists of recommended plants and varieties, keyed to different climates

An explanation of how plants in different levels or "stories" --from ground covers to full-sized trees--coexist and interact in a healthy and productive landscape.

Robert Hart blends history, philosophy, anthropology, and seasonal gardening wisdom in a lucid sequence of essays, which together comprise a remarkable testament to the pleasures of "hands-off" as well as hands-on gardening. Forest Gardening is truly a book for our times, offering a fresh sensibility that will encourage and inspire ecological gardeners throughout the world.

User ratings

Review: Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape

Review: Forest Gardening: Cultivating an Edible Landscape

User Review - Erika RS - Goodreads

Hart's book is a rambling series of essays which talk about the author's experiences creating a forest garden in England. It's interesting, but it's more a philosophical treatise than a gardening book.Read full review

References to this book

About the author (1996)

Robert Hart (1913-2000) was a pioneer practitioner of agroforestry and permaculture. His books include Forest Gardening, The Inviolable Hills, Ecosociety, and the widely acclaimed Forest Farming (co-authored with James Sholto Douglas). He lived in Shropshire, England.